The EU loses 145 billion euros in a decade due to climate change

Climate change, that resulted in extreme weather events, translated also into economic losses for the entire world.

Such events, including heat waves, floods and storms, have caused over €145 billion in economic losses in the EU over the past decade, according to the latest data published by Eurostat.

Furthermore, the 30-year moving average of climate-related economic losses shows a clear trend, increasing nearly 2% annually over the last decade. 

Only in 2020, the total climate-related economic losses were €12 billion. The highest total loss was recorded in 2017 (€27.9 billion), more than double that in 2020, as a result of the heatwaves registered in Europe that dried the land and caused wildfire conditions. The lowest total loss was observed in 2012 (€3.7 billion).

In 2020, climate-related economic losses stood at €27 per EU inhabitant.

The Member State with the highest loss per inhabitant (almost three times higher than the EU average) was Greece (€91 per inhabitant), followed by France (€62) and Ireland (€42). The lowest losses per inhabitant were registered in Bulgaria (€0.7 per inhabitant), Slovenia and Slovakia (both €4).